Texas Tech and Baylor have exercised a two-year option to keep their football series at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington through 2014. Tech made the announcement Wednesday.

Tech and Baylor just completed a two-year contract for games at Cowboys Stadium, and the contract had a two-year option.

Baylor is giving up its 2013 game in Waco, and Tech is giving up the 2014 game in Lubbock.

The decision to keep the series at a neutral site had been expected. Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt told the Avalanche-Journal last month that he would approve the deal if given assurance by the Big 12 Conference that the 2014 game would be on Thanksgiving weekend. He indicated he was last the last person to sign off on it, because Baylor already had consented.

The 2013 game is scheduled for Nov. 16.

Tech also announced Tuesday that next season’s Family Weekend will be in conjunction with the Sept. 21 Texas State game and homecoming will be the weekend of the Oct. 12 game against Iowa State.

Coaches depart

Tech running backs coach Chad Scott, strength and conditioning coach Joe Walker and Walker’s assistant, Orlando Smith, have left the program for other jobs, the Avalanche-Journal confirmed Wednesday through Tech sources.

All were charter members of former coach Tommy Tuberville’s staff.

Scott is going with offensive coordinator Neal Brown to Kentucky. Walker and Smith are expected to follow Tuberville to Cincinnati. Smith, an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Red Raiders, was an all-conference running back at Cincinnati in the late 1990s.

A spokesman at Kentucky said he had no news Wednesday regarding the anticipated hire of Scott. Likewise, Cincinnati has not announced the hires of any assistants since Tuberville was named the Bearcats’ head coach on Saturday.

A source told the Avalanche-Journal on Tuesday that the Red Raiders’ entire defensive staff is expected to join Tuberville.

Barrow picks Tulsa

Dallas Skyline cornerback Will Barrow committed to Tulsa on Wednesday, the recruiting web site 247sports.com reported. Barrow changed his pledge the day after he decommitted from Texas Tech in the wake of the Red Raiders’ coaching change.

Back at work

The Red Raiders returned to practice Wednesday after the fall-semester final-exam period ended, but no coaches or players were made available for media interviews.

Tech (7-5) faces Minnesota (6-6) at 8 p.m. Dec. 28 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. The game is played at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Offensive line coach Chris Thomsen was named interim head coach on Tuesday and will lead the Red Raiders in the bowl game.